The school holidays have ended on a sour note for a Napier family after their dog had part of a paw, including a claw, ripped off by another dog.
The McCarthy family's jack russell Roofus was attacked on Tuesday afternoon, despite being enclosed behind their property fence, while Wendy McCarthy left home for half an hour.
She returned to find a bloody mess, part of one paw detached on the pavement nearby and part of another also badly damaged. It required surgically removed.
He is now quiet, subdued and has trouble walking even a slight distance.
"The kids were devastated because they do everything with him," Mrs McCarthy said. "He's not the same, not the same at all. He's obviously in a lot of pain and the annoying thing is, because we're home with school holidays he wants to be with us.